RWANDA Trends and Developments Contributed by: Aimery de Schoutheete and Penina Ngabire, Liedekerke Great Lakes
Liedekerke Great Lakes KG 541 St Kigali Rwanda Tel: +25 079 869 5912 Email: info@liedekerke.com Web: www.liedekerke.com
Rwanda: A Future Mineral Hub in Central Africa? The Republic of Rwanda is a landlocked country situated in the heart of Africa. With a modest land area of 26,338 km² and a population of 14.19 million, it is the second most densely populated country in Africa, and current projections estimate that the population will reach around 21 million in 2050. It is hardly surprising, then, that Rwanda is highly import- dependent. As part of its efforts to contain its growing trade deficit, Rwanda is betting heavily on exploration and mining to boost its exports and reverse the trend. Rwanda is presented as one of the world’s largest producers of the 3Ts (tin, tantalum and tungsten) and exports gold and gemstones. The country also has a variety of minerals such as rare earth elements and lithium. Rwanda’s mining sector has been develop - ing rapidly in recent years. Today, mining is the country’s largest export revenue earner, before tourism. Mineral export revenues increased from USD772 million in 2022 to USD1.1 billion in 2023.
Despite significant growth in the past decade, Rwanda’s mining sector consists mainly of artisanal and small-scale mining. Similarly, the sector’s exports are mainly raw mineral concen - trates and not metals. Rwanda has therefore paved the way over the past decade to attract foreign mining investors. Soon, it is Rwanda’s ambition to transform the mining sector into a modern mechanised indus - try and to become a mineral value-addition hub in the region. Current Situation: Paving the Way for Foreign Investment In order to attract foreign mining investors, Rwanda has created the Rwanda Mines, Petro - leum and Gas Board (RMB) and developed a modern legal framework. Rwanda also boasts a modern domestic road network and offers sev - eral incentives to mining investors, as mining is In 2024, Rwanda adopted a new mining law gov - erning all mining activities, Law No 072/2024 of 26 June 2024 on mining and quarry operations (the “2024 Mining Law”), which repealed Law No 58/2018 of 13 August 2018 on mining and quarry operations (the “Mining Law”). The 2024 Mining Law continues to be supplemented by considered a priority sector. Modern Legal Framework
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